US President Donald Trump has hosted Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir at the White House, praising them both as “great guys,” in the clearest sign yet that ties between Washington and Islamabad are being reset after years of mistrust.

The Oval Office meeting late Thursday was the first time Sharif had been welcomed to the White House since taking office last year, underscoring a sharp turn in relations after years of strain.

Videos of the Oval Office meeting, attended also by Vice President J.D. Vance highlighted the camaraderie among the men, who grinned broadly for the cameras. The close-door meeting started late but went on for about an hour.

Analysts say the high-profile invitation to Sharif reflects Washington’s recalibration in South Asia as it seeks renewed access to the Bagram air base in Afghanistan, even as Islamabad manoeuvres to maximise its own strategic position.

Pakistan is “having its moment in the sun in global geopolitics, fleeting though it may be. It’s leveraging its strategic value as a close partner of the Arab Gulf states, further amplified by its nuclear weapons status, at a moment of massive churn in the Middle East,” says South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman, based in Washington.

“And it’s capitalised on the opportunities that’ve come from two surprising shifts: the downturn in US-India ties, and the upturn in US-Pak ties,” he adds.

The meeting coincided with Sharif’s trip to New York for the UN General Assembly and underscored Pakistan’s renewed push for international support at a time of deep economic strain.

Trump met top officials from eight Islamic nations on the General Assembly sidelines, but Sharif was the one who landed a White House invitation.

For Trump, one prize looms especially large: the return of US access to the Bagram air base near Kabul, vacated when US soldiers exited Afghanistan in 2021.

Washington prizes it for its proximity to China’s nuclear assets.

The Taliban have formally rejected the US demand to hand over the base, leaving Pakistan as a critical partner for American strategic goals in the region.

With tensions flaring again in the region, Washington sees Pakistan as the most viable partner to help re-establish a foothold there. The courting of Sharif, and army chief Munir, signals that the Pentagon’s wish list is shaping foreign policy.

Munir has already made two trips to the US since June, including a private lunch at the White House. His presence underscores the enduring dominance of Pakistan’s military in foreign affairs.

The shift comes alongside a strikingly aggressive campaign by Pakistan’s military to cast India as the driving force behind its militant violence.

In an interview with a German broadcaster this week, later replayed across Pakistani networks, Lt-Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, head of the Inter-Services Public Relations wing, declared: “We have no doubt in our minds in Pakistan that (for) each and every incident of terrorism that happens in Pakistan, behind that is Indian support and its abetment.” He added that global powers “must intervene” to resolve disputes, explicitly pointing to Washington.

The accusation follows the May four-day war that Islamabad credited Trump with helping to mediate an end, a claim New Delhi has repeatedly denied. Pakistan even nominated Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Economically, Pakistan has secured a 19 per cent tariff on its USexports, down from 25 per cent, while American investment in its oil reservescontinues. By contrast, the US imposes a 50 per cent levy on Indian imports,which includes a 25 per cent penalty on Russian oil purchases that may belifted later.

India’s hefty $40-billion trade surplus with the US made the 25-per-centtariff logical from Washington’s perspective, while Pakistan runs a tradedeficit. Some analysts say the high Indian tariff is primarily about trade, notbilateral ties.

“The Trump administration surely recognises Pakistan’s utility in the Middle East, likely a motivation for increased US-Pak engagement,” says Kugelman. In turn, Kugelman says Islamabad has “very successfully understood how to engage with an unconventional president” with agreements spanning critical minerals, cryptocurrencies, and energy.

Relations between the US and Pakistan had plunged in 2018, when military aid was cut and closer US-India ties deepened the estrangement. Under the Biden administration, contacts were minimal. Trump, who used to call Pakistan a terrorist haven, has moved quickly to turn that page. Munir has visited the US twice since June, including being hosted at a private, unprecedented two-hour lunch at the White House.

Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar represented India at the UN in place of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who stayed away amid the tariff tensions between India and the US.

Pakistan’s diplomatic outreach to Washington runs in parallel with a rebranding of the country’s internal insurgencies. Dawn and other newspapers now regularly describe militants as “Indian proxies".

Though possibly India set the pace with an unusually hard-hitting response, persuading even Modi’s rivals to rally behind it. Pakistan, by contrast, is still finding its footing.

Meanwhile, the US-India relationship has visibly soured. Washington has imposed massive fees on H-1B visas, laid out plans to end sanctions waivers on Iran, threatened India’s Chabahar project, and even used the UN General Assembly podium to accuse India of backing Russia’s war.

“This decision to impose high fees on the H-1B visa program is another indication that the relationship is still in a bad state, even after we had that (birthday greetings) phone call between Trump and Modi,” Kugelman says. “It represents a pretty significant blow to US-India tech relations.”

On the broader trade relationship, Kugelman adds: “The path to any type of reset in this relationship, the path to stabilising this relationship and moving away from the crisis, is to have a trade deal. Even with tensions as high as they’ve been, we have continued to have trade talks in recent days, and there’s no reason to think that those talks are going to stop anytime soon. If we do get a trade deal, that would be a big confidence-building measure.”

For Sharif, Thursday’s White House invitation was also about economic lifelines.

Pakistan has just secured approval for a $40-billion loan from the World Bank, and negotiations are under way on a trade package. Trump has also signalled cooperation on developing Pakistan’s oil reserves, saying an American company will be chosen to lead the project.

Since Munir became army chief, the rhetoric directed at India has only grown sharper.

In April, shortly before the May conflict, he told an audience of overseas Pakistanis that Kashmir was the country’s “jugular vein” and insisted Pakistan was fundamentally different from “Hindu India.”

Later, at a US military farewell in Florida, he went further: “We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we’ll take half the world down with us.”

Analysts say this dual track, vilifying India at home while courting Washington abroad, reflects a calculated strategy. For the army, it shores up domestic authority and deflects from a cost-of-living crisis. For Sharif, high-level access in Washington signals economic relief and diplomatic legitimacy.